In the 2000s, several of Manchester United’s best players left the club in order to join Real Madrid. David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy are names that come to mind immediately. Things have changed over the past decade though and Santiago Bernabeu to Old Trafford has become the more popular route instead.
Angel Di Maria joined Manchester United in 2014, just months after helping Real Madrid win La Decima. Casemiro did the same in 2022. And Raphael Varane had signed for the Premier League club the summer before that.
Right now, Varane is going through a tough time at Manchester United. He spent his first couple of seasons at Old Trafford as a regular starter and expectedly so.
Varane seems to have slipped down Erik ten Hag’s centre-back pecking order. His last start in the Premier League came back in September. Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans are all getting more regular playing time than him. And the Frenchman leaving in January does not seem impossible.
Real Madrid legend could leave Manchester United
As tweeted out by Florian Plettenberg, internally, Bayern Munich have considered Varane. They have been informed that his departure in the winter is possible. A loan deal is not an option at this stage. His transfer value seems to be in the €20 million to €30 million range.
It remains to be seen if Bayern Munich end up making a move for Varane. His wages are believed to be an obstacle in any deal.
Real Madrid could do with another centre-back right now as well with Eder Militao out injured for the foreseeable future. But it does not feel like the club would try to bring back Varane, who is 30 years of age and has not been great in the past couple of seasons. Los Blancos’ current transfer policy revolves around signing young talents.